Men and women who watched pornography films in the past year hold more egalitarian views than those who did not, a new study has revealed.

The consumption of pornography has been a divisive discussion point for decades, with many arguing that it can improve sex while others have cautioned that it is associated with risky sexual behaviour, poor mental health and sexual aggression.

“Instead of demonstrating strong associations between pornography use and support of non-egalitarianism, if anything the current findings actually suggest weak associations in the opposite direction,” the report said.

It is often assumed by those who take the radical feminist perspective that porn denigrates women, further increases the perception that women are inferior to men and that it’s acceptable for women to be subjugated by male partners.

The study surveyed 10,946 American men and 14,101 American women with a series of questions about pornography use as well as feminist identification and attitudes towards women.

“The results of this study fail to support the view that pornography is an efficient deliverer of ‘women-hating ideology’ (So You Think You Know, 2009),” the study reads.

“While unexpected from the perspective of radical feminist theory, these results are consistent with a small number of empirical studies that have also reported positive associations between pornography use and egalitarian attitudes.”

A study in 1990 found that state-by-state circulation rates of softcore porn magazines in the United States were moderately correlated with gender equality.

Another study found that male patrons of an adult movie theater held more positive attitudes towards women.